YouTube Gold: Isiah Thomas

Because he played in an era of giants like Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and Michael Jordan, among others, and because he was part of a controversial team and often controversial himself, Isiah Thomas was probably never fully recognized for his greatness as he should have been.

And that’s too bad, because he is arguably the best little man in basketball history.

The argument has changed somewhat since he retired and now you have consider guys like Alan Iverson, Stephen Curry and Kyrie Irving. But Thomas is still near the top of any list and he was better at getting to the basket than any of his would-be rivals.

Born in 1961 in Chicago, Thomas attended Indiana where he played for Bob Knight, leading the Hoosiers to the 1981 national championship.

He later led the Pistons to NBA titles. That team was controversial because of Bill Laimbeer and Dennis Rodman and Thomas often stirred the controversy.

But there was no denying his brilliant for the game or his remarkable ability to score inside against much bigger players. He did things that no one before or after has ever done.